Naked women are depicted in art for the purpose of arousing male desire. This has been the case since ancient times.
Until recently, most people were unclothed for practical reasons: work and athletics; bathing and swimming. Nevertheless, people might be shamed by improper dress.
Schiele experimented with nude images and portrayed emaciated figures in sickly colors. The body of this woman is so thin that she looks like a corpse.
Art History
The human body has been a major theme of art since prehistoric times, but the depiction of nude bodies is not always welcome. A special space has been carved out for certain kinds of erotic imagery in the arts, but when women’s bodies are shown without clothing in situations other than a sexual encounter, social disapproval is more likely.
The rediscovery of classical antiquity in the 13th century led to a revival of interest in human anatomy, and artists such as Botticelli began using life models. Then, in the Renaissance, humanism emerged, and painters such as Titian and Giotto became concerned with representing the human body accurately.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, a few realist painters turned their attention to depicting nude women from daily life. For example, the Spanish painter Francisco de Goya painted the naked maja (La maja desnuda) in 1790, thought to be the first explicit depiction of female pubic hair in Western painting.
Realist painters also showed the nude bodies of lower-class women, such as prostitutes and actresses. In these works, the women are confident and look at the viewer without embarrassment or shyness. The Rococo painter Boucher, for instance, portrayed Mme de Pompadour, Louis XV’s mistress, in several nude paintings, including his Reclining Nude.
Other painters, such as Diego Velazquez and Antonio Velazquez, used their work to show the beauty of the human body. They were the first to depict the fullness of the female form, as well as other facets of the body that are less obvious, such as the genitalia.
Then came the Impressionists, who pushed the boundaries of what could be shown in a nude painting. Artists such as Monet and Renoir often made a nude figure more sensuous by using brush strokes to highlight the curves of the body. Modigliani’s reclining nude and Matisse’s nudes are also credited with being early examples of the eroticism that is now associated with modern nude painting.
During the era of colonialism, European artists tried to distance themselves from the reality of non-European peoples by depicting them as gods or savages in fantasy settings. For example, Lucas Cranach’s 1526 “Adam and Eve” shows the biblical figures with no clothes, except for a couple of strategically placed fig leaves. Paintings of an emaciated Christ, by contrast, show the suffering and vulnerability of humanity.
Religion
Throughout religious history, nudity of female bodies has often been a symbol of shame. However, the role of the naked body as an object of contemplation and worship shifted in the 14th Century with the rise of Renaissance art and ideas. This shift coincided with an enlightenment in Western thought that reclaimed the importance of humanism.
A key concept of the enlightenment was that humanity and divinity were one in the same. As a result, many religious practitioners began to explore ideas of transcendence and infinity. This exploration was accompanied by a fascination with the human form and nudity. As a result, artists began to portray more nude figures and to portray them in a variety of poses.
The religious significance of the human body is an important element in Christian belief. It is reflected in the belief that Jesus came into this world naked, through his birth in the womb of his mother Mary. Christians also believe that God has a special relationship with the human body and is intimately involved in the lives of his followers.
Christian naturists view the body as God’s greatest creation and that it is not a sin to be naked. They believe that Adam and Eve were naked when they ate from the tree of knowledge and that they sewn fig leaves together as coverings in an attempt to hide their shame.
In Judaism, the body is viewed as modest by most communities. Despite this, there are some Jewish movements that have a more liberal approach to nudity. These include Conservative and Reform Judaism. In more strict Judaism, the practice of Tzniut has detailed rules regarding how much of the body can be shown in public and private contexts.
During times of crisis, religions are often prone to experimentation and new interpretations of old teachings. These changes can create schisms between different adherents and new beliefs that can become popular in a short period of time. Holy nudism is one such new interpretation of Christian beliefs that has emerged in recent years. It is based on certain interpretations of the Adamic Fall.
Politics
In modern times, nudity has become a powerful tool for political action. For example, Brett Lunceford’s book Naked Politics: Nudity and the Rhetoric of the Body explores what happens when naked bodies are used in a political context. He examines the rhetorical power of the disrobed body as it is displayed in protest and social movement activities. These include PETA’s use of chained nudes; the Running of the Nudes, a women’s race that has grown into a worldwide political protest; lactivists, or “lather activists,” who engage in public breastfeeding as a form of activism; and more.
The use of nakedness in protest is a powerful reminder of the human body’s connection to nature and the body’s power to challenge dominant discourses of gender, class, and power. Naked politics also emphasizes the human capacity for compassion and empathy, as demonstrated by groups like the naturists, who believe that living in close proximity to nakedness is healthy for humans. In fact, many people report that they enjoy sleeping in the nude, and some researchers suggest that doing so may have psychological benefits.
In ancient Greece, both men and women regularly went without clothing. The aristocracy adopted clothing as a status symbol, while the lower classes went without it to show their devotion to the gods. In Sparta, physical training and athletic competitions were often conducted in the nude. Women also participated in public processions and festivals in the nude.
Lunceford argues that, although the political implications of nudity are complex and vary from culture to culture, there is a common thread of resistance to tyranny in all societies. For example, Theravada Buddhists recognize a naked woman as Patacara, who roamed the city unclothed after her family’s tragic death, representing compassion and understanding in the face of loss.
More recently, a group of women from the Niger Delta tribe of Itsekiri has used the nude as an act of resistance against oil company Chevron/Texaco. The Itsekiri women occupied the Escravos oil terminal for ten days in 2002 enacting a regional superstition, claiming that the company had cursed their village by contaminating its land and water. This and other tribal nude actions around the world highlight the interconnections of sexism, poverty, racism, tribalism, classism, and first-worldism in global neoliberal economic policies that far exceed the party politics invoked in Tunick’s installation.
Sexuality
While nudity is a natural part of human anatomy, some people are more comfortable with it than others. This difference can be a result of their gender, culture, religion or past experiences. There is also a link between nudity and sexuality. Nude bodies are more likely to trigger a sexual response in both men and women, which is why they are often subject to legal prohibitions such as indecent exposure. However, this reaction is not always sexual in nature and can be triggered by other elements such as the environment and lighting.
In fact, when a person looks at naked bodies they may feel a range of emotions including curiosity, wonder, and enjoyment. The feelings are generally not sexual in nature but can be a sign that someone is bi-curious.
Nakedness is not inherently sexual but can be if it’s done with wrong motives or in disobedience to God. Peer pressure, a lack of self-control, and thoughts contrary to sound thinking and disobedient to the law of liberty in Christ Jesus can taint a simple act of nakedness.
When we look at a woman clad only in her skin, there is a deep courage in that action. It is a blunt declaration of power that is socially explosive only because it defies the fear and concern that most people have about seeing such an empowered body. Introspectively noting and healing this narrow, controlling vision leads to a deeper understanding of the power that is in each naked body.
In an age where there is so much emphasis on defining and judging sexuality, it is easy to overlook that humans are wired for nudity. However, if this is a cause for anxiety then it should be addressed through education and awareness rather than outright condemnation of a human experience that most of us can only imagine from a distance. Nakedness is not exploitative unless it’s done in order to profit from a base myopathy of the mind that sees only bare flesh as something that should be condemned. Then it is the fault of those who believe this and not the blame of the bared body.